Things you wish you knew before becoming a crisis counsellor

While I learned a lot in college about mental health and related topics, nothing could have prepared me for the real work I would be doing as a psychologist at a crisis helpline. Providing assistance to those in need is a tremendous moral responsibility. As helpline operators, we field calls from people in need of assistance with a wide range of emotional and mental health issues and do what we can to alleviate their suffering and point them in the right direction.

The crisis helpline I am a part of receives numerous calls from people of varying ages who are contemplating or have attempted suicide. When people reach out for assistance in times of crisis, answering the phone comes with a great deal of responsibility. It’s never simple, and every client’s problems are unique. This is the kind of knowledge that can only be gained through experience. With more practise and calls like these, we’ll be ready to assist a wider range of customers with a wider range of needs.

Many callers to the helpline have unrealistic expectations, becoming angry with the counsellor when they are not given an instant, foolproof answer. But there are times when clients leave feeling positive about the session and thank the counsellor sincerely for their help.

It’s not at all like what you see on screen when it comes to therapy. When viewed through the lens of movies and TV shows with high levels of action and drama, the prospect may seem intriguing. That’s the made-up stuff, not how things work at a real crisis hotline.

Things you wish you knew before joining crisis counselling

1] How does it feel working on the helpline?

–  The helpline is an unpredictable place. People call us for various reasons –from making enquiries to call for help when at the verge of ending life. One has to multitask sometimes between phone calls and chats. Being able to pay attention, grasp information and respond using the right words and right tone is difficult. Right tone is an art one can master through experience alone.

Counsellors need to be alert and pay attention to the client’s underlying emotions too. It is hard to find the right words at times to comfort the client. It is always a humbling experience to be a part of lived stories of many, realizing there is so less to offer in words and how important silence is and how it can showcase empathy.

On the helpline we can only work on something the client needs immediate help with. It is not always possible to take lengthy sessions as calls and chats keep coming in. It gets tiring. Counsellors are available round the clock to ensure people get the help they need irrespective of time.

2] How does one handle burn out?

– Working as a mental health practitioner can be stressful. Listening to clients throughout the week gets exhausting and drain you. Therefore, it is important to have something to do that helps one relax at the end of each day. It is important to empty one’s cup to fill it up again and no one understands this better than crisis counsellors.

Every counsellor has their ways to destress. Some indulge in art, some journal, read, watch series or do physical activities like walking or exercising.

Without having something to relax, it is possible that one carries on the exhaustion of the work even when work hours are over. Breaking off that connection with our work helps us to get back to home life. Even spending time with family or friends helps to destress and feel relaxed.

One does not need to go anything extravagant in order to destress. Simple activities that we do to pass time is all that is required to be done. It is very important that as practitioners, one pays attention to signs of burnout and learns to manage stress to be agile and productive.

3] How is crisis counselling different from therapy and in-patient department?

– In a crisis counselling setting our main focus is on helping to de-escalate the situation and help give the client a space to talk when they need it urgently. It is brief and time bound. The purpose of a crisis intervention helpline is to help the client get back to their normal state they were in before the crisis by using coping strategies. Clients may require only 2 or 3 sessions.

In a therapy setting, sessions tend to be at least an hour long which gives the space to discuss a little more in detail the situation that puts a client in distress. The number of sessions in a therapy setting can differ based on the history of the client. Therapy tends to be a bit systematic where counsellor focuses on gaining information of the client in the first few sessions, helping clients to explore their thoughts and feelings, the reasons behind them and then slowly moving towards setting certain goals which helps the client manage themselves triggering situations.

Distinct from the above two, is the in-patient department where patients are admitted to get help with their mental health issues. They are monitored and observed during their stay, medical support is available at immediate basis, and it is a safe environment for clients while undergoing major mental health issues that are quite difficult to be handled  in a therapy or crisis helpline setting.

Clients benefit a lot from in-patient care. There are various activities they are part of like individual therapy, group or family therapy, recreational activities and getting back into a routine.

Different counselling settings take care of different needs of a client.

4] When does one get agitated by this line of work?

–   Crisis counselling can get difficult to manage with different shifts, certain cases that are difficult to deal with at a crisis helpline, clients unwilling to cooperate. It can also feel incomplete at times as we do not do extensive sessions and are not able to help the client throughout their journey. It is not possible to work on underlying issues in a limited time frame, not having enough data to work upon and not knowing whether a client might actually come back for a next session. It can also feel complex to connect with clients only via a phone call and build rapport effectively for clients to feel comfortable and to open up.

Living through secondary trauma constantly can also feel daunting making one feel helpless. It takes a lot of practice to know when to stop, when to take breaks and how to rejuvenate self. It helps immensely to have mentors and therapists who can take care of the emotional aspects of the crisis counsellor.

There are certain situations where a client might need help and support and would benefit from an in-person session, acknowledging that there are limitations to working at a crisis helpline and accepting that one may not always be able to help a client is sometimes what adds to a counsellors distress and can also make them feel like they have not done enough to help the client. The counsellors might feel helpless and it does get difficult to accept and process this feeling.

Crisis counselling is distinct from therapy sessions as crisis counselling sessions usually take place over a phone call or a chat. We miss out on the opportunity of seeing the individual and connecting with them face to face. Network issues interfere at times. Still, many people prefer this mode as they have the option of staying anonymous, have the accessibility to contact either via a phone call or a text without needing to book an appointment prior.                                                                                                                      As a counsellor on the other end of the call, I can tell you that it is a tedious job. Picking a chat or a call without knowing the context can sometimes be apprehensive. Be that as it may, a counsellor can be prepared to face this job with proper training and having mentors or seniors they can reach out to in times of need.

Crisis counselling is not an easy job and like every profession, it has its pros and cons. What matters the most here; is the counsellor’s willingness, grit and resilience to stand strong amidst all these difficulties and assist those in need.

To many who have limited access and support to mental health resources, we are their first and perhaps only source of support. While however limited we feel our roles are, it is still a beacon of hope for many who gets to discover mental health and healing through their first call or chat with us. And that is reason enough for us to pick up the next chat or call, for we understand the power of a conversation!

(This article is written by Senorita Dcunha, who works at the Vandrevala Foundation as a Mentor and Crisis Counsellor. When she is not busy guiding her mentees or in sessions with clients, she finds herself immersed in her books)